We decided to invite local creatives to write a paragraph or two and share some of their recent work with us to form this blog. It's the first time we've done this and don't want anyone to feel left out! If you want to get involved next time or have any ideas for the future please do get in touch.

It's part of our plan to follow this blog with another featuring aerial photos involving local hobbyists and commercial pilots to take part. We will then offer advice and guidance on safe flying in each of the locations. Perhaps we will choose the locations below..

Anyway enough of my rambling! You want to see some photos right?? In alphabetical order here are the photos and short write ups from each of the local creatives. Some of the artists sent in several photos and we've taken our favourites to post here. They have been reduced in size slightly to make them more web friendly. Please contact them individually, view their socials, and websites to see more of their work in greater detail and depth.

Andrew Hayward - Victoria Pier

I love the location because you can visit any time of the day, any time of the year in any weather and always come away with something special. These photographs were taken using a long exposure during the daytime of 2 minutes. This was achieved using a tripod and a 10 stop neutral density cokin filter. Another time I may combine multiple filters, including graduated, filters to achieve a longer exposure time. I love this particular technique as the image may contain multiple people and yet the viewer is non-the wiser to this.

Andrew Malbon - Southsea Beach

 ‘Black Headed Gulls, Red Headed Humans’. June 30th 2018

Southsea beach, high summer & I love how we interact with the coast in the UK’s only island city. This is part of a triptych trying to capture the late afternoon summer experience of the beach; after a hard days relaxing, all that remains is to feed the gulls. Well, be careful what you wish for as they can return anything offered with interest!

I experiment with what might loosely be called ‘street photography’ but try to produce well composed photographs with an architectural feel. What would I do differently with this image? Probably be a bit braver & get a bit closer. I’m a great admirer of the sublime Martin Parr & his astonishing ability to make incredibly sophisticated images from the utterly ordinary & am trying to learn from him with this type of photograph.

Equipment: Leica MP with a 35mm Summilux lens & just a touch of ND filter over the top of the frame 1/4000 F2

Thanks again & let me know if you’d like a similar commentary on the other two images from this sequence. I’m probably going to make a 3 part Freeartfriday drop of these later in the year.

— Andrew Malbon

You can find Andrew over on Twitter & on Instagram. We've been following him for sometime and he really does capture that architectural feel very well.

AMANDA MORBY - THE SPINNAKER TOWER

Hello I am an amateur photographer living in Gosport, I have a face book page called Amanda’s Photography with over 850 followers also find me on Instagram Mopper99. I have chosen the Spinnaker Tower to photograph. Why? Everyone takes photos of this? Well it’s because I can see this on my doorstep, the tower can be seen for miles making it a great city sculpture. This first photo you can see this clearly from my garden, an early morning picture of the tower at sunrise which I have captured with my Nikon D7200.

Iv also added a night photo of the tower this shows a variety of colours reflecting on the harbours water below and another of the city and a storm which took place one evening this year.

— Amanda Morby

Wow - what a skyline! You can find out more about Amanda, view her photographs and join her on social media over on Facebook & Instagram

Billie Rae - South Parade Pier

South Parade Pier has always been a favourite spot of mine as I have tons of memories there, since its reopened I’ve really enjoyed being able to get the most of it as a photographer. SPP offers lots of different view points in a small area so its appeal for playing and testing ideas as a photographer; you can photograph the pier itself; use it as a feature in the background, use the metal supports under the pier as framing for a scene or stand on the pier to get some shots from a higher vantage point looking down towards the beach. The low tide is my favourite time to shoot as it allows me to get close to the pier and the little bit of sand we have acts as a wonderful reflector. The general area around SPP is lovely to explore with a camera as well, its a general gathering point for people due to the various attractions that surround the pier so if you want to capture candid street photos its a must visit. My biggest recommendation for the area is just to capture anything that catches your attention, its a space that has changed a lot in recent months and chances are the next time you visit it will have changed again. I’m not sure what I’ll do next time I visit SPP, I may force myself to only photograph in portrait format or even just focus on long exposures. It’s a wonderful local to learn and play as a photographer so I will continually come back.

Christine Matchett - Solent Forts

“Whenever I’m out with my camera in Southsea it can be pretty much guaranteed that I’ll take a photo of one of the forts just off the coast. I find them endlessly fascinating, but my photos of them are generally pretty uninteresting!

Earlier in the year I was fortunate enough to be walking along the seafront on a lovely sunny evening, when the weather turned. The sky and sea turned an eerie shade of green - one of those times when if feels as if the world might be about to end. Luckily I had my camera and as the hail came down I tried to capture the moment. I took photo after photo in the hope that I’d get a decent shot, and this is probably the best one. Disappointingly most of the images I took were out of focus or had big watery splodges on them from the hail. If I’d taken the a little more time to compose my shot and just wipe my lens dry I might have had a few more photos to choose from. I’m still trying to learn lessons from this... calm down, think a little more and click a little less! “

DANNY CAMFIELD - PORTSMOUTH GUILDHALL

Excellent photos from Danny Camfield from Cosham.

I’ve been practising photography for about five years now. He’s an industrial roofer by trade and thoroughly enjoys taking photos of our city. My favourite place is camber docks & Portsmouth guildhall

— Danny Camfield

Daniel Tomlinson - Fratton Park

Portsmouth Football Club. Before I loved my girlfriend, before I loved my future kids, I fell in love with football. And no one can take that away from me.

Some people go to church. I go to Fratton Park. A place where in 90 minutes nothing else is thought about apart from the game that is being played out in front of you and getting behind them 11 men that are playing for that crest. If you’re having problems at home, at work or relationship issues, Fratton Park is a place to get away from it all. 18,000 people come weekly to do the same thing, to support Portsmouth Football Club no matter what league or run of form they’re in. It doesn’t matter who you are, what you look like or what religious beliefs you have, you are accepted due to one common interest. Some people might call you stupid for getting upset about them loosing, telling you “its just a game.” But they will never understand that it’s not “just a game,” this is Portsmouth, my Portsmouth.

Originally built in 1899 on top of a potato field, a year after Portsmouth Football Club was Founded, Fratton Park is the staple of all football stadiums. All four stands have been updated since then but the longest serving is the south stand, built in the 1920’s. The pitch is so close to the fans they can touch the players if they wanted. It’s a daunting place to come for away teams because they know that the Portsmouth faithful are a loud bunch, who will intimidate them for 90 minutes hence the nickname ‘Fortress Fratton.’ With the likes of Manchester United, City, Liverpool and even AC Milan playing at the ‘old girl,’ the stadium was opened with a 2-0 friendly win against local bitter rivals Southampton in 1899 watched on by 4,141 supporters.

— Daniel Tomlinson

Daniel has worked as a film maker and photographer for several years now and with a portfolio of successful projects behind him is venturing into the free lancing world. You can find out more about him on his website & Twitter

Jon Mainwaring - HMS Warrior

Warrior Blog - Residents of Portsmouth are very lucky to live in such a photogenic city! Choosing my favourite subject isn’t easy, but if forced to I would pick HMS Warrior. As well as being a lifelong photographer I’m also a keen runner, so I often combine a run with a stop off down at the Dockyard to take some shots of the beautiful ship. The view changes so much through each season, month and even day, and there’s also something worth capturing.My 7 tips for shooting HMS Warrior are as follows.

1) Don’t get hung up on gear. There’s a saying that the best camera is the one you have with you, and I’d certainly agree with that. Yes I’ve set my professional Nikon camera up on a tripod and waited for the sun to set and the clouds to move, but I’ve taken equally satisfying shots on my iPhone as I’ve run past. If you’re there at the right time and take a moment to compose your shot, you’ll get something to be proud of.

2) Choose the time of day. A ship like HMS Warrior is impressive at all times of the day, but if you want a really stunning shot you need to work with the best light. Personally I like the so called ‘Golden Hour’ just before sunset when the light is soft and warm. In winter in particular the skies behind HMS Warrior can be dramatic and give an oil painting quality to a photograph.

3) Choose the best angle.Railings, cars, even modern boats can spoil the magic of a picture of a historic ship. Take the time to choose an angle to frame HMS Warrior and cut out unwanted distractions. Make sure the horizon is straight as any seascape pictures can look odd if it’s wonky!

4) Look for foreground interest.Capturing an impressive view in a photograph is always a challenge, and the results are often not quite as you want them to be. Adding depth to a picture by including some foreground interest is one of the tricks of the trade. For example, include some of the jetty or waves lapping the shore when the tide is right.

5) Stay safe.Wear appropriate clothing and shoes, especially if you’re shooting HMS Warrior in winter. It can get very cold very quickly when the sun sets, so wrap up warm. Fingerless gloves keep your hands from freezing and mean you can still operate a camera. The cobbled jetty can be very slippery – especially when wet! – so tread carefully and wear shoes or boots with good grip.

6) Don’t over-process.I’ve nothing against adding a filter on Instagram or tweaking colours in Lightroom, but don’t go overboard! Over-saturated skies can spoil a great shot.

7) Make it a regular shoot.HMS Warrior and the surrounding view is something you can return to again and again. Ever changing clouds, weather and lighting conditions make every shot look different. Set against a blue sky in summer she looks magnificent. Equally, a backdrop of storm clouds in autumn makes a stunning picture.

— Jon Mainwaring

Some great tips from Jon there! Jon is Portsmouth born and bred, and now shoots professionally on a part-time basis. He is an ex-BBC cameraman, and has shot everything from weddings to showjumping events over the past 30 years. You can find Jon and his amazing photographs on Facebook.

Karah Mew - Southsea Castle

Southsea castle sits discreetly along the coast. Standing there proud, but over the years being quiet its presence. In 2018 the council re-vamped the old fountain and in doing so have unleashed a new life in the area. With families, couples and friends now using the space to walk, play and socialise - its become the perfect urban playground for us. And there is something really special about playing in the water with the lighthouse watching over us. Wonder how king Henry IIV would have felt with children getting their toes wet outside his gaff?

— Karah Mew

It's evident Karah loves her family and where she lives. Check out more of her work over on her website & Instagram

Eastney Beach & Yomper

Eastney beach - looked over by the Yomper Statue, made by the sculptor Philip Jackson and unveiled in 1992 to commemorate the Royal Marines and those who served alongside them during the Falklands War, is a beautiful and unique area of coastline. This part of the beach is designated as a Site of Importance for Nature Conservation due to the rare species of vegetation which grow here. Some of the rarities are the Nottingham Catchfly, Sea Holly, Sea Kale, Yellow Horned Poppy, Sea Bindweed and Sea Radish. Pretty beach huts add a beautiful line of pastel colours to the top of the beach and knitted posts and bike racks items add a cosy feel as you walk along the promenade. The promenade is a lovely place to walk as there is always so much to see, from cruise liners and cargo ships passing by to Canada Geese and Swans flying over. There are often people fishing in the evenings and all day long there are joggers, kite flyers, dog walkers, families, cyclists and holiday makers enjoying this stretch of beach. I find it the perfect place to walk along and reflect on things, normally with a cup of tea in one hand and a camera in the other, as I look out to sea and say hello to passers-by. 

We hope you all enjoyed this blog and welcome your feedback. We are over the moon with the response from local photographer and film makers so thank you all for getting involved.

TERRY NEALE - OLD PORTSMOUTH

Born and bred in Pompey, I never tire of its many photogenic aspects and its rich history. Nowhere is this more true, though, than in the origins of the city, the cobbled streets of Old Portsmouth. There are photo opportunities galore from the Square and Round Towers, along the Hot Walls and down the High Street to Spice Island. The cobbles and historical buildings on a rainy night just cry out for a monochrome shot, affording a scene which would not have changed a great deal in 300 years. Fortunately, the same cannot be said of the area’s clientele and reputation, which was ‘colourful’ to say the least, back in those early days!

But as well as just shooting the patently obvious charm of the area, I like to try to find a quirk or a juxtaposition to make a shot stand out or raise an eyebrow.

A traditional red telephone booth, lit from above, on a cloudy evening against a grey stone background just jumped out at me as I was walking on by, and playing around a little in Lightroom actually gave me one of my most favourite recent ‘accidental’ compositions.

But other shots are months in the planning. I’d been at the Gunwharf when the pride of the Royal Navy, the Queen Elizabeth first sailed majestically into port some time back and noticed how it dwarfed the buildings on the tip of Spice Island and knew immediately it was a shot I wanted to get. She had left and returned another four times before I managed to be where I wanted to be as she set sail again, and the long lens and close crop gave me just the effect I was hoping for.

— Terry Neale

We first came across Terry in a Facebook group where he had posted a superb photo of HMS Queen Elizabeth heading out to sea. He's evidently very talented and you can find out more about him and view his other photographs here.